Chinese army asked to monitor food safety

The Chinese army is to take steps to ensure the safety of its food supply.
Food suppliers will have to pass hygiene and safety checks, and units will be
ordered to monitor the supply chain.

In recent months China has been hit by numerous food and drug safety scares.
Poor quality or fake food and drugs, such as toothpaste, pet food and powdered
milk, have been found. In some cases, people have died because of tainted
products.

Weak foundationAt a news conference in
Beijing earlier this week, China's State Food and Drug Administration admitted
it had a huge job ahead to improve its supervision of safety standards. "As a
developing country, China's food and drug supervision work began late and its
foundations are weak," spokeswoman Yan Jiangying said. Her comments came as
the agency's former head, Zheng Xiaoyu, was executed for corruption. He had been
convicted of taking bribes linked to sub-standard medicines, which were blamed
for several deaths.